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Afternoon Tea in Seoul: Cafe Treeanon

Afternoon tea isn't really a thing here in Korea; I would say most of our Western influences come from the US, whereas tea is more UK-related. Nevertheless, I feel like these days more and more cafes are venturing out to tinker with new concepts, because frankly, the only way for your cafe (or restaurant) to survive in Korea now is to go viral on social media, or be exceptionally delicious, or deal with something totally novel and interesting. I suppose this is the case for most places, but Seoul is already overloaded with cafes, and a special option such as Cafe Treeanon is really like a breath of fresh air amidst the hustle and bustle of a crazy city life.

Located a short walk away from Gangnam-gu Office Station exit 4, Cafe Treeanon emits a cozy and antique sort of vibe that reminds you of the plump, sweet, caring white granny who loves to bake cookies and knit scarves and stuff - the kind of granny we Asians never had. The building already looks quite old, as if the owner didn't bother to fix up the place and instead decided to hold on to its vintage charm. The entrance welcomes you with green bushes (and roses if the season is right), and an outdoor patio-ish section where you can enjoy your tea while basking in the sunlight (probably also if the season is right).


The cafe isn't very spacious, to be honest, but the atmosphere is quiet and cozy, made even better with early 20th century jazz jauntily flowing from the speakers.


Afternoon tea MUST be reserved in advance; and prices are 18,000 KRW per person. If you cancel last minute, there's even a cancellation fee of 50%, because apparently they prepare the ingredients and everything in advance. Which I don't quite understand, because at the end of the day it's just... bread and pastries and stuff... but whatever.

When you arrive, you select your tea (there's quite a lot to choose from), and wait about 30 minutes for everything to come out.



The afternoon tea includes croissant sandwiches, scones, pound cake, bread pudding (or sometimes puff pastries), yogurt parfait, fruit, and macarons; I ate at 3 in the afternoon and had to skip dinner from the overload of carbs.

This is a great place to spend hours in quiet company with close friends, as I did. The price is a bit high for casual tea/coffee, but for a new experience I highly recommend.

Phone: 070-8129-5955
Address: 서울특별시 강남구 청담동 26-5
Hours: 09:00-23:00
Closed Sundays

Comments

  1. Just bread and pastries?! It costs MONEY on the ingredients and TIME from the bakers. That's a bit rude in my opinion. Everything else was a great post. Price is actually quite cheap for high tea. Other places in Seoul you will see 40,000W or even 80,000W.

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